Celebrating Our Ability Counts Programme

As the partner charity of Exeter City Football Club, working to benefit the lives of people living in our city, we strive to ensure we can support as many people as possible.

As part of that commitment to inclusivity, we offer a wide range of exciting and accessible parasport activities. We have as many as 250 people of all ages taking part in our parasports programmes. As well as providing the opportunity to be active, the sessions are also great for meeting new people, making friends and mental health support.

Danny Harris, head of wellbeing and inclusion at Exeter City Community Trust, says the emphasis with all elements of the charity’s parasports programme is on getting stuck in, and the team’s successes are down to the fact that the charity looks very much beyond a person’s disability.

He adds: “At Exeter City Community Trust we want everybody to know that it is possible to still take part in competitive sport, regardless of their ability level. Watching our team members overcome their fears and anxieties and learning to not just take part but to fall in love with sport and to succeed, that’s enough to keep us going and want to do even more.”

Sessions include:

· Adult and Youth Disability Football

· Down’s Syndrome Youth Football

· Football sessions for blind players

· PL Kicks Disability Youth Football

· Football sessions for Deaf players

· Opportunity Club (mental health)

This summer we collaborated with Exeter Library to run reading challenges and muti sports sessions. In addition, our PL Kicks disability under 11s team attended and won a tournament at Chelsea Football Club’s Cobham training ground.

Our free weekly PAN disability football sessions take place at Wonford Sports Centre and are for children aged 10-16 with autism, learning difficulties, physical or mobility issues and sight or hearing impairment. The scheme is funded through the Premier League Charitable Fund and several other partnerships which are made up of Exeter City Council Community Safety Partnership, Co-op Local Causes, One Stop Carriers for Causes and Proceeds of Crime Act.

Premier League Kicks FREE SESSION

We also offer afterschool and holiday clubs for disabled children at a number of schools in the area, which are funded by Devon County Council. These clubs provide a safe environment and the opportunity for children to thrive and feel part of something special. They are usually one to two days long and support physical and mental wellbeing as well as social interaction.

October Half Term Session

We are also running PAN Disability football sessions at Wonford Sports Centre this October Half Term which are suitable for children aged eight-16 with autism, learning difficulties, physical or mobility issues and sight or hearing impairment.

For more information about our parasports sessions, which take place at a variety of locations, including Exwick Sports Hub, Wonford Sports Centre and Cranbrook Educational Campus, visit ExeterCCT or email Dan Hewitt